Boundaries

Today we are going to discuss about boundaries that we hate and like at the same time.

We fight to destroy and at the same time construct boundaries; we are afraid to live without it.

Boundaries limit our freedom, but freedom is meaningless without boundaries.

Boundaries are real.

We always feel in our life the presence of boundaries of traditions, beliefs and values.

Some of them are created by humans and some others exist from time immemorial.

We can break some, we do not like to break some and we cannot break some other.

Boundaries influence, limit, control and give meaning to our life.

Jacob, God’s Israel

Jacob is the towering, complex and more than life size character in the Old Testament.

His life was one of scheming, frustrations, pain, loneliness and yet spiritual.

None of his contemporaries understood his pain and despair during his life.

He had none to share his heart. He lived alone, fought alone and won alone.

He is the nation “Israel”, but he is often neglected between Abraham and Moses.

He had moments of fear and strong faith.

His family was in disorder, he silently fought to set it straight.

He was born in the Promised Land but spent most of his life in foreign lands and died in a foreign land.

Inheriting the Kingdom of God

Who shall inherit and who shall not inherit the Kingdom of God?

This question and its answer are the core subject of this discussion.

When we discuss the topic, let us keep few things in our mind about the kingdom of God.

Kingdom of God is not a democratic kingdom; it is the rule of a King who is the only authority in the Kingdom.

He is the only one King and He has no misters to discuss the rule of the Kingdom.

He is the creator and sustainer of the Kingdom.

His Will and His values are the laws of the Kingdom.

Thus the King is the Kingdom and the Kingdom is the King.

New Heaven and New Earth

(All verses quoted in this study are from the New King James Version, if not otherwise mentioned).

 

The new heaven and new earth, as seen by John the apostle in a vision, is the final fulfillment of the Kingdom of God. John’s revelation has immense importance in eschatology. This is the climax of God’s plan for the restoration of the Kingdom of God.

 

According to the revelations recorded by John, the establishment of the new heaven and new earth will happen only after the white throne judgment, after the rapture of the saints and the millennial reign of Christ. References to this new creation is found in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament books. So, this revelation is an authentic truth.

 

My intention in this study is not confirming any existing interpretations or not prescribing any new interpretations to the revelation. My intention is to explain the vision as John has recorded it, in the light of other scriptures. Different interpretations of scholars are also cited, for the enrichment of the believers.

Shouts of Victory

When you meet a real soldier next time, ask him whether he likes war time or peace time.

My experience is that, he will answer that he likes war time.

War is a time of action and peace is a time of idleness.

No soldier wish to get wounded or killed in war, but he dislikes peace time.

Soldiers may not wish for war, but real soldiers like war, because it is a time of action.

Real believers like war. We have fight, a war to win. We are in a war.

But our war is different from the wars between nations on this earth.

Our weapons in the war and our intention of the war are also different.

In truth, the war of a born again Christian believer is already fought and won; the victory is declared.

We are now only effecting or implementing the victory.  

This is the core thought of this message.